Industry Cladding & Roofing is excited to announce that, in conjunction with Dynamic Steel Frame, we have been awarded an Australian Steel Institute (ASI) 2020 Victorian Steel Excellence Award. Our work on the $30 million Latrobe Valley GovHub took out this year’s top prize in the Steel Clad Structures category.
A three-storey regional employment centre, the GovHub features the world’s largest light gauge steel-clad façade modules.
According to Grant Wright (Director, Industry Cladding & Roofing), “We are extremely proud to be recognised by the Australian Steel Institute. The 2020 Steel Excellence Award is recognition of our unique approach to a project of this magnitude—an approach that combined out-of-the-box thinking and blue collar know-how to deliver a truly amazing finish with a level of detail and accuracy that is second to none. ”
“With its striking design solution that both stands out and complements its natural surroundings, the GovHub delivers a truly timeless aesthetic backed by exceptional engineering and workmanship. I am proud that our team was able to turn Castlerock Property and WMK Architecture’s vision into reality,” said Wright.
Cutting Edge Engineering and Detailed Prototyping
This innovative design of the GovHub required cutting-edge engineering and a detailed prototyping process that saw us modularise the façade’s construction. Modularisation enabled us to meet the dramatically accelerated timeframe required by the architect and builder—all without compromising on quality, safety or finish.
We fabricated and installed 18 light gauge steel-clad modules, which were craned into position and hooked onto the building. Each of the modules was 8m wide and 14.5m high, and comprised over 3 tonnes of BlueScope’s TRUECORE® steel.
Prefabricating and cladding the modules off-site required design and development of an innovative system, which saw us clad directly onto the framework (rather than the traditional secondary layer of framing). To do this, members and studs had to be positioned in the exact right way, and all connections required millimetre perfect engineering. The effort was well worth it: time on-site was cut by 25%, and costs were slashed by $1 million.
An Exceptional Finish
The façade and roofline of the GovHub were designed to represent the LaTrobe Valley’s industry history, forming the shape of bucket wheel dredgers. The detail in each module is exceptional. Over 4,000m2 of COLORBOND® standing seam cladding and roofing contrasts with the timber-look UniCote® LUX Ashwood interlocking panels used on the external walls and soffits. We also supplied and installed over 2,000m2 of KLIP-LOK® roofing, box gutters and ridge capping.
For more information, watch our video about the construction of the GovHub.
About the ASI Steel Excellence Awards
Held every two years, the ASI’s Steel Excellence Awards celebrate high standards across all elements of the Australian steel supply chain. Award criteria is focused on elements such as design merit, construction efficiency, environmental sustainability and buildability.
We will now vie for honours in the ASI’s National Steel Excellence Awards, with the winner to be announced later this month.